Genetic Incorporation of Multiple Unnatural Amino Acids into Proteins in Mammalian Cells†
We acknowledge Virginia Seely for her assistance in manuscript preparation. We thank Dr. Jun Y. Axup and Dr. Chan Hyuk Kim for helpful discussions. This is manuscript no. 25034 from The Scripps Research Institute. This work was funded by grant DE-FG03-00ER46051 from the Division of Materials Sciences, Department of Energy to P.G.S.
Graphical Abstract
An enhanced suppression system enables the expression of proteins in mammalian cells incorporating one unnatural amino acid (UAA) into multiple sites, as well as two different UAAs into distinct sites in a protein of interest. The utility of this technology was demonstrated by generating a full-length antibody, site-specifically conjugated to a drug and a fluorophore, and characterizing its activity in vitro (see picture).